Vegan panettone review 2023
From six vegan panettone in 2019 to 16 in 2023, see all that's new this year. This roundup is the result of a mega charity tasting event
Sometimes I write about food. I began writing a vegan panettone review in 2019 with six vegan panettoni. This year there are 16 on the market in the UK and I knew I had to do it differently
Welcome to what might have been the very first public vegan panettone tasting in London
About a dozen people (henceforth I'll refer to us as the Panettone Gang) joined me to taste 14* of the available panettoni with all proceeds to benefit Baraka Community Partnerships
The beautiful Nepali Buddhist flag adorning the end of the table was a gift from another wonderful charity, Help Animals India
*The last two weren't available in time for the event, but they're listed below
What's panettone?
Panettone is a traditional leavened and baked Italian Christmas cake typically made of a sour dough and containing sultanas, candied orange peel and delicate aromas. The term basically means really big bread. Panettone is singular, panettoni is plural
Panettone originated in Milano sometime in the 18th century. It’s packaged in attractive parcels and they’re often given as gifts. Since I can remember, it’s been ubiquitous in shops all over Italy and the fashion has taken hold in the UK too. It's a big seller. In the last decade, sales of panettone are a very close second to traditional Christmas cake (here's a vegan recipe for that) and in some shops, including Selfridges, panettone outsells Christmas cake by multiples
You can now also find chocolate and other flavour panettone. Commercially made vegan panettoni were rare. Now, they’re available in large supermarkets and at a variety of price points
Baking without animal products is obviously possible and the results are delicious. All these panettoni are vegan. Instead of dairy butter, these are made primarily with olive or other vegetable oils. This year, two contain palm oil. While palm oil is suitable for vegans as it comes from a plant, there are other factors making it a substance I like to avoid, if possible. Each panettone in this review is made in Italy
Artisanal panettone and pandoro
As I do every year, I ask the London vegan community about who might be making their own vegan panettone or pandoro (a fluffier version without sultanas, raisins or candied fruit). I've not yet seen local artisans make these available this year
Make your own
If you want a challenge, you could try to make your own with VegsideStory (complete with video instructions) all the while practicing your Italian! Or try A Veg Taste from A to Z’s recipe in English
And now for the reviews
For the Panettone Gang to arrive at a consensus over 14 different cakes was a heck of a feat. There was alot of laughter and a spreadsheet. Genuine enthusiasm and probably some sort of cake induced euphoria helped
We all agreed any of these would be great gifts depending on preferred price point and good on their own. It's just because we tasted all 14 of them we could discern differences. Or as one member put it as she was about to throw in the towel, "I don't know anymore, they've all blurred into one, but now I know not to toast slices immediately," which is excellent news and no Italian will have lost their wings ... now if we could do the same for pineapple on pizza...
A note on packaging: the external boxes or wrappers for each of these, but one, are paper or cardboard and widely recycled. The plastic bag in which each panettone is wrapped is not recyclable, unless you have access to specialty recycling facilities
Each brand name is linked to the shop or online shop where I purchased the panettone (click the link to be taken to the relevant site). If there are other places where they can be purchased, I've noted that in the body of each description. The prices I indicate are what I paid for the panettone. The prices might have gone up or down and don't include shipping or delivery. Check the links for current pricing
The favourites for 2023
In no particular order, these were the overall favourites
Seggiano's (£18.09 for 500g)
Its texture is much lighter than all the other panettoni and that difference made a notable impression. You can see the open crumb and contrast this to the smaller crumb of the other panettoni
This panettone contains sultanas and candied orange peel and both were the best quality of the entire lot, tasting the most real, according to one member. Many noted they wished there had been more. Perhaps this is a good in between one for those who aren't super fond of dried fruit
You might note its shape is more like pandoro instead of the usual squat panettone, so it makes quite an impression
The image on the box is of a putto kissing Venus. According to one of our readers who works at the National Gallery in London, it's Bronzino’s allegory with Venus and Cupid, which was painted around 1545. It's currently on display at the National Gallery.It's a bold choice. Everyone agreed it's the most impressive packaging and would make an excellent gift
Vergani (£23.95 for 750gr)
This is a perennial favourite of mine. The ingredients are very good quality. There are juicy sultanas and gorgeous candied orange peel. Both are plentiful. The texture is on point, chewy yet not overly dense and the aromas are balanced. It's my perennial favourite. Many agreed and one member said it had the most character
The packaging is a bit baffling. It's pretty, although one person said it reminded them of a tissue box - fair point. The box is one they've used for the last few years. To me and another Italian in attendance, it seemed more it should be for a colomba, which is panettone's Easter version.
Vergani chocolate (£20 for 750g)
This one was new to me. It's absolutely loaded with chocolate and as one chocolate-loving member put it, "was there bread?" This was the divider really. Those who love chocolate loved this one. Those who preferred a more traditional flavour profile, found this was more cake than panettone. The chocolate is excellent. It's perfect for cutting up into chunks and having it out at a party
Fracarro Pan Dolce (£17.99 for 750g), available in-store at Planet Organic and Ocado
I picked this up in-store at Planet Organic and it's a different one than the one they're showing on their website. There, Planet Organic indicates a 500g organic one, but that's not the one they had in their shop
This particular panettone was a split with half really liking it and the other half being lukewarm. It had a fluffy consistency, golden hue, lots of good quality sultanas and orange peel. Everyone liked the packaging. It's a convenient one in terms of it being accessible in shops
Note: This is one of the two containing palm oil. Palm oil is a cheap filler without flavour in these types of uses (when it's used in traditional cuisines in parts of Africa, it does have a pretty fantastic flavour). So manufacturers use it to increase their margins
Chiostro di Saronno(£16 for 750g)
This brand is once again at John Lewis, like it was last year. Beware of the labels though. This is a chocolate panettone, not a raisin one as is indicated on the ingredients label. We were all pretty surprised by the mislabelling
Many people liked this panettone and it was one person's favourite. It had a good consistency. The chocolate was mild and there was orange essence in the mix. I was underwhelmed and found it lacking
The packaging, although very festive, isn't recyclable because the inside lining of the paper is plastic coated. Notwithstanding, seeing John Lewis offer a vegan panettone for the second year running, is an interesting expansion of vegan products. And it's a decent option at this price point and location
Note: this is the second panettone to contain palm oil
Probios spelt & raisins (£9.84 for 300g), available here and VeganKind Supermarket
As a member put aptly put it, this is the cocktail version of panettone. It's got all the classic aromas and texture. It was also one person's top favourite with its plump fruit and fragrant dough. Probios is a solid option every year and I recommend it, especially to those not keen on candied orange peel. All Probios’ products are organic and they manufacture a variety of vegan itemsÂ
Its smaller size and under £10 price point makes it the perfect Secret Santa gift
GoVegan organic spelt (£17.98 for 500g)
There are a total of three GoVegan panettoni in our tasting and this is the only one people really liked. It was bready, had a good tear, looked good and like a classic panettone and its golden hue was appealing
Some liked the packaging and one person remarked it was a bit too Holland & Barrett ... a bit basic. And that's a fair observation
Good options, just not great
Vorrei/Evvivo (from £16.16 to £23.90 for 500g) available here, here and here
Although this wasn't a popular favourite, one member voted it top favourite, finding it light, fluffy, citrussy and buttery. De gustibus!
I found the dough a bit plain. Another member said the raisins did all the heavy lifting. And I tend to agree
Probios spelt & chocolate drops (£9.84 for 300g)
Despite using good chocolate and a good amount of drops, it's just dry. That's consistently the potential trouble with smaller panettoni. They just tend to get too dry
Nevertheless, add a bit of coffee or a liqueur or vegan nog and you're good to go. The price point is also attractive
GoVegan organic chocolate (£17.98 for 500g)
The chocolate in this panettone is very good. The dough let us down. It was a bit hollow. This brand uses pea flour and we suspect it's the culprit of a light bitter aftertaste many of us experienced
GoVegan organic (wheat, £16.98 for 500g)
Of the three GoVegan panettoni, this was the least favourite because it was the driest
Fracarro bio/spelt (£14.95 for 500g)
Unfortunately, this was widely a least favourite. It was dry and doughy without a flavourful oomph. This is a different panettone than the earlier Fracarro and it doesn't contain palm oil. It comes from one of my favourite purveyors of excellent Italian products, so I had high hopes. It was my first time trying this brand and who knows, maybe next year it'll be better
La Finestra sul Cielo organic vegan orange and chocolate (£19.98 for 750g)
Last year, this brand placed quite high. This year, it simply didn't. The dough was dense, not springy and just plain in flavour. The distribution of the chocolate drops and the candied peel was just not right with many empty spots. The packaging is still great. It's a long paper bag with a nice bough. But it simply didn't save it overall. Still, the combo of chocolate drops and candied peel is appealing even to me who generally doesn't like the chocolate/orange combo
La Finestra sul Cielo spelt with organic vegan chocolate drops (£19.98 for 750g)
Strangely, the chocolate in this version was just not great. I would've expected the chocolate in the previous one to also be similar, but it was better. One member exclaimed immediately upon tasting it, "this is terrible!", which was later upgraded to vile. Strong sentiments for sure and certainly a disappointment
Olivieri (£35 for 500g)
This is the most expensive panettone I've ever purchased. Coming in at £35 for 500g, I have no idea how or why this panettone has this large price point. It arrived after the tasting event so you will just need to be satisfied with my views
This is by far the most impressive packaging. I love this box with the handles and I'm going to have to keep it!
Here is the middle cross-section: disappointing as heck. Two sad canditi with one sultana in the back when I sliced it (not pictured)
The ingredients are good. When I first opened the internal plastic bag, the aroma was lovely and fragrant. But it's a bit pale, which isn't necessarily bad, just a bit underwhelming. It's very moist, which is good. But the overarching flavour is simply sweet. The olfactory aromas didn't carry through to taste.
So, if you have someone who needs to be wowed by packaging and you like expensive things, then buy this.
It will make excellent panettone French toast. Quick recipe below
Not reviewed
Holland & Barrett (£18 for 750g)
After a few years' absence, H&B is once again selling vegan panettone. The last time they did so it was 2019 and it was pretty good. I don't know if this year's is the same brand as 2019. It contains cranberries, which would put it outside of the usual panettoni and that's no bad thing. It's certainly the least expensive of the bunch, currently on offer for £12.50
Nog!
Once again, this year I served Black Lines' Oatnog (£18 for 750ml) and everyone who tried it liked it. I finding it delicious. It's an oat milk based alcoholic drink, infused with all the winter warming spices, and laced with rum. Unlike some milky-based drinks and American-style egg nog, it's not viscous. This is a light and flavourful drink which pairs well with panettone
It's available directly from their website and in selected supermarkets, see Black Lines' social media for all updates
Panettone French toast
For two
Take two panettone slices and halve them.
Mix 1/2 cup non-dairy milk or Ogg aquafaba with half a banana, mashed and 3 Tbs of tapioca or corn flour. Add a dash of cinnamon, if you like and a tiny amount of turmeric, if you would like the panettone French toast to be more yellow
Dredge both sides of the panettone in the mix. Fry in non-dairy butter in a non-stick pan
Drizzle maple syrup
Let me know which one(s) you try and happy festive season!
This was one of the best Christmas events I have been too and it's not even December yet. Great review of our findings too.
The dutch angle selfie looks great in this context. It torques up the energy